Dusty

This book was recommended to me twice by two different friends. I was skeptical of its value due to the cheesy title, but apparently you can't judge a book by the cover. I really liked this book.

This is not a detailed financial book, it is a very practical "this is the bare minimum you should be doing, and here's how you do it" book. Which for me, was a perfect starting point. I used a lot of Ramit's advice.

If you're young and just getting started with *really* managing your finances, this is your book.

I bought the audio book and half way through bought the paper back book so I'd have quick reference to the resources Ramit frequently cites.

This is wealth building basics. A 101 class on building wealth that is rarely taught, and often forgotten by those who were taught.

The information here is timeless, thus the whole taking place in ancient Babylon setting, which I found entertaining. It also added a sort of weightiness to the lessons that I enjoyed.

Everyone can benefit from the information in this book. Read it, read it again, then make your children read it.

First off, Buffet doesn't believe in broad portfolio diversification. He chooses single businesses and invests in them big.

When Buffet describes how he chooses his investments, he basically says: choose a lasting business (such as razor blades, soda pop, chewing gum, etc), with a strong competitive advantage, great underlying economics, buy it when it's stock price is less than it's "real value," and invest big in it. This information is presented as if it's dead simple and anyone can get rich following this advice. While I believe it's good advice, personally I feel Buffet owes a lot more of his success to luck than he'd care to admit.

Aside from my skepticism of non-diversification, there are excellent nuggets of wisdom on running a business in this book. Plus I've always been interested in how great people think, and for that this book is worth a listen, but if you're looking for sound (and more in depth) investing advice for normal people, I suggest reading "A Random Walk Down Wall Street."

Animal Farm is great, as is the narrator. I'd give this audio book 5 stars, however, the intro chapter summarizes, analyzes, and basically spoils the entire book. It's as if they assume everyone has already read this book. I hate spoilers and was infuriated when the narrator began talking about characters and the plot. I turned it off as fast as I could.

Get this audio book, but skip the introduction chapter and come back to it at the end.